Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"Bureaucracies hide their mistakes, because people's careers are tied to those mistakes. Therefore, bureaucracies are a perfect mechanism for perpetuating mistakes."
- Frank Herbert
 |
| Tleilaxu Eyes (Metal Eyes) | ||
| Tleilaxu eye surgery replaces natural eyeballs damaged or destroyed. |
Frank Herbert uses the idea of these artificial eyes to great effect in various stories, including Dune Messiah. The devices themselves are metallic, almost insectile in appearance. There is always the sense of distrust for technology that is often seen in Herbert's work.
The Tleilaxu themselves are never seen in the original book; it is not stated whether the eye surgery is done on the host planet.
| A serene smile spread over the ghola's dark features. The metal eyes lifted, centered on Paul, but maintained their mechanical stare. "That is how I am called, my lord: Hayt." |
| From Dune Messiah,
by Frank Herbert. Published by Putnam in 1969 Additional resources -
|
At present, there are no artificial or replacement eyes. However, scientists at the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Centre
(SVEC) (University of
Houston, Texas), have developed, tiny ceramic photocells that could
detect incoming light and so
‘repair’ malfunctioning human eyes.
At the back of each of your eyes are about 120 million rods and around
six million cones. They convert light into electrical
impulses which travel along
the optic nerve to your brain. If these cells are damaged, the result is a loss of eyesight.
The first generation of artificial
retinas constructed at SVEC
consist of 100,000 tiny ceramic
microdetectors, each one
twentieth the size of a human hair. The arrays are
attached to a polymer film one
millimetre by one millimetre in size, large enough to be placed by the surgeon.
The film is designed to dissolve
after a couple weeks, leaving the
array in position on the retina.
Find out more at bionic eye surgery.
Elsewhere in the novel, the Tleilaxu are described as producing not artifacts, but tools and services. Even war and poverty could be manufactured, and could be considered as either a destructive tool (poverty could wreck a rival's power) or a useful tool (war can focus the attention of a population, and can be used to cull unwanted population). The Tleilaxu are an interesting vision of what a corporation might look like in 10,000 years.
Comment/Join this discussion (BACK ON!) ( 8 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Dune Messiah
More Ideas
and Technology by Frank Herbert
Tech news articles related to Dune Messiah
Tech news articles related to works by Frank Herbert
Tleilaxu Eyes (Metal Eyes)-related
news articles:
- 'Bionic Eye' Argus II Retinal Implant
- What Retinal Implants May Not Replace
| CARMAT Bioprosthetic Total Human Heart Replacement |
| Physical Exam? We've Got Apps |
| Japan's Nursing Home Robot Plan |
| Mini-Livers Made By 3D Printer |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
'Then their lasers vaporized the smaller satellites...'
'The legs are long, curled way up to deliver power, like a cheetah's.'
'It rested among green parklands and... stood in total isolation, a glittering block of whites and flashing windows dotted with colors.'
'George Walt's corporate existence proved the workability of wholly mechanical organs...'
